Sunday, January 15, 2012

On (to) Wisconsin -- 33 weeks to go.

Last week was a good one. Nothing huge in terms of miles or time, but every session felt good. Wrapped it up on Sunday morning with an 8-mile run. The plan was to pick up the pace over the last 20 minutes, finishing at around 10K pace.

I ran an out-and-back course, and as usual on a 32-degree winter morning, it seemed the wind was in my face no matter which direction I went. But with a long-sleeved shirt, vest, tights, hat and gloves, it was pretty tolerable.

Out to the turnaround in 35 minutes and change. Flip around and head back (wind in my face, of course). Pace picking up nicely. I felt smooth and pretty quick -- concentrate on a good forward lean and keep my core tucked in. With 20 minutes to go I kicked it in. Down a hill, across a busy highway and then a steady climb. Big breaths of cold air, and I can feel the sweat building up, even with the chilly air.

The turn for home and a mile to go. 10K pace should be about 7 minutes, so it was time to dig in and go. I was running harder than I had in quite a while -- time to put those base miles to work.

Done. Hit the watch. Back in 31 minutes and change. Last mile in 7:30 -- not too bad, considering a steep hill near the end -- and the wind WAS in my face.

Totals for the week:

Swim -- 7000 yards
Bike -- 49 miles
Run -- 18 miles
Core -- 60 minutes

Total time -- 8 hours, 40 minutes

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